It was neither. It was just numbness. And numbness, for a hypervigilant younger sibling, is a dangerous seduction.
I only did it once. But that one time taught me the truth of the link: it is not a bridge between two separate people. It is a mirror. When you look at your older sister falling, you see your own potential to fall. And that reflection can either scare you straight or invite you in. I am now twenty-four. Elena is twenty-nine. She has been in and out of rehabilitation programs. At the time of writing, she is three months sober—the longest stretch in a decade. I do not say this with hope anymore. I say it with cautious, scarred awareness. Relapse is always a possibility. Depravity has a long memory. my older sister falling into depravity and i link
The link between an older sister’s depravity and a younger sibling’s soul is real. It is painful. It is formative. But it is not fatal. It was neither